A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains or may contain material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the photocopy reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure in exactly the form it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates in general to a gaming device, and more particularly to a gaming device which signifies certain symbols for one or more purposes.
In current gaming machines such as slot machines, players are able to receive various awards associated with various events. Sometimes the games directly involve the slot machine reels which are often in video form. Each reel typically includes several symbols. Existing gaming machines use the symbols in a variety of ways. For example, existing gaming machines include winning symbols and winning symbol combinations as well as losing symbols and symbol combinations. The symbols generally determine the awards.
To increase player enjoyment and excitement, it is desirable to provide players with new techniques for emphasizing game events and directing a player""s attention to the presence and purpose of certain symbols on certain reels using alternative methods.
It is often desirable to emphasize or signify certain symbols during a game, especially after the occurrence of a winning event or a game event such as a winning combination of symbols. One known technique is to signify certain winning symbols by visually enhancing or highlighting the symbols which are part of a winning combination. However, existing gaming machines do not signify certain winning combinations of symbols by means of visually altering the losing symbols alone. Furthermore, existing gaming devices do not include bonus schemes where a player can choose certain reel symbols which are visually signified as selectable.
To increase player enjoyment and excitement, it is desirable to provide players with new techniques for emphasizing game events and directing a player""s attention to the presence and purpose of certain symbols on certain reels using alternative methods.
The present invention overcomes the above shortcomings by providing a gaming device and method which directly involves a plurality of reels, preferably video reels. The reels are adjacent to one another, and each reel exhibits a plurality of indicia or symbols. During the primary game of the gaming device, functionally each reel spins, comes to a stop and exhibits symbols. The term exhibit, as used herein, generally includes displaying, performing or otherwise representing a person, place or thing visually and/or audibly.
Various symbols have various functions in the game. Some symbols, when they appear, determine whether a player gains value, loses value or neither gains nor loses value. Other symbols may serve as selections which a player must choose. Based upon a predetermined program, the gaming device signifies various symbols, generally to draw the player""s attention to these symbols or to other symbols. When signifying a symbol, the computer of the gaming device applies an enhancement to the symbol. The term enhancement, as used herein, includes, but is not limited to, shading, coloration, bordering, illumination, marks, patterns (i.e., pinstripes) or other visual embellishments which distinguish certain symbols or symbol backgrounds from other symbols or symbol backgrounds.
In one embodiment, before a player begins the primary game, the reels are stationary, and they exhibit a predetermined number of symbols. After the reels spin and come to a stop, certain predetermined symbols (hereafter referred to as xe2x80x9cwinning symbolsxe2x80x9d) may appear on certain reels, individually or in combination with other symbols. The appearance of one or more winning symbols in one or more positions constitutes a winning event which causes the game to award the player with a value. For example, a winning event could be a winning symbol appearing anywhere on any reel or it could be the same winning symbol appearing on three identical locations on three adjacent reels. The non-winning symbols (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9closing symbolsxe2x80x9d) are the symbols displayed on the reels which are not the winning symbols. The term symbol, as used in this specification, includes but is not limited to any audio, visual or audio-visual representation of a person, place or thing, such as characters, letter, numbers, drawings, pictures or other indicia.
Preferably, the computer of the gaming devices signifies the winning symbols in a primary game. Here, the symbols are located on a background. Initially, all of the backgrounds for all of the symbols are identical. When a winning event occurs, the computer uses an enhancement to change the appearance of the losing symbols. In this manner, the computer signifies the winning symbols.
Depending upon the design of the game, initially all of the symbol backgrounds can be the same color, preferably white. When a winning event occurs, the computer colors, shades or darkens the backgrounds of the losing symbols. Therefore, after a winning event occurs, the winning symbols have a background with one color and the losing symbols have a distinguished, preferably darker background. If the player has remaining credits, the game enables the player to spin the reels again, and this process repeats itself. If the player has no remaining credits, the game terminates.
Another embodiment of the present invention may be employed in a bonus scheme, where one or more of the reels includes at least one symbol which the player can select and by doing so, receive a bonus value (hereinafter referred to as a xe2x80x9cselectionxe2x80x9d or a xe2x80x9cselectable symbolxe2x80x9d). The computer of the gaming device signifies the selections in order to distinguish them from the other symbols by applying enhancements to the background where: (a) the selection is located; (b) the other symbols or non-selectable symbols are located; or (c) both the selections and other symbols are located.
The player can choose one or more of the signified selections. Preferably, after choosing a selection, the selection and/or other symbols animate. The term animate, as used herein, includes but is not limited to move, simulate movement, vibrate or shake, rotate, flip over, move upwards, downwards, or from side to side, bend, transform into a different shape or size, separate into different parts, expand or contract, change colors, shades or patterns, illuminate, make sounds or otherwise having dynamic characteristics. Next, the game awards the player with a bonus value which corresponds to the chosen selection. Finally, the bonus round terminates.
In an alternative embodiment of this bonus scheme of the present invention, the gaming device includes a plurality of and preferably five video reels. Each reel, when not spinning, exhibits three symbols on a white background. The symbols include a plurality of characters and other items. Each reel includes one selection, and each selection is a character. The computer of the gaming device signifies the selections by shading or coloring gray the background of the other symbols. As such, the selections have a white background and the other symbols have a darker background.
In the preferred embodiment, when the player chooses a signified selection, the chosen character animates. The character makes predetermined movements, such as dance movements and the game provides accompanying sounds. Next, the game provides the player with a bonus value which corresponds the chosen selection. The bonus round then terminates.
The gaming device of the present invention signifies certain reel symbols using enhancements in order to draw attention to the symbols. In a primary game, the winning symbols are signified by applying an enhancement to the background of the losing symbols and not changing the winning symbols. In a bonus scheme, the present invention provides certain symbols on the gaming device reels which the player can select. The computer signifies these selections by applying certain enhancements to the background of the selections and/or other symbols. Once the player chooses a selection, the game provides the player with a corresponding bonus value. Preferably, after the player chooses a selection, certain selections and/or symbols animate for player entertainment.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a gaming device with reels which signify certain symbols for multiple purposes.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts, elements, components, steps and processes.